Emperor Slade
by AbsentFromReality
Summary: (This story is COMPLETELY AU & somewhat based on Ancient Rome). Young, naive Robin takes up a rich man's offer of a home and food. Robin thought he could just start his life over, but he seems to forget all that happened and what he had done beforehand. Unfortunately, Robin falls into an evil emperor's hands who wants to make sure he pays the price for his crimes. (may be M later)
1. What's going on?

This story is COMPLETELY AU & loosely based on Ancient Rome. I did SOME research about Rome along with recently studying the culture in school, but I wouldn't recommend you to take any events/names seriously because it didn't really happen. ;) Also, if I get anything wrong about the culture, I'm sorry! :) This goes for the whole story. This story will most likely be really long because I have ALOT to write; but hopefully if you look the first few chapters you'll stick around. I TRIED to keep everyone as much in character as I could; but as the story progresses, you'll see why it's kinda hard. Some of the TT characters will eventually show up sooner or later in the story. ;) Oh one more tiny detail... SLADIN. I mean its not going to be consensual, but *SPOILERS*. I can't tell you everything... yet. But the Sladin won't happen for awhile, so even if your not into that, I'd appreciate it if you'd read up unto it or skip the parts and leave me a review anyways. ;)

happy reading.

Mignotta- Roman slang for "whore"

Dove stai andando- "where are you going?"

* * *

"Stop that boy! He has stolen from me!" A bald old man that wore a purple silk robe yelled into the streets; hoping that someone of a higher authority would hear him. "Stop him!"

The boy paid no attention to the old man; he would never get help in time. He didn't slow his pace though. As he waded through the crowds of people that surrounded him, he suddenly felt very uncomfortable but continued running.

"Why in such a hurry, lad?" A tall, dark haired Roman guard asked as he stepped in front of the boy while withdrawing his sword.

"M-my mom. She's sick and has asked me to bring her these apples as soon as I could." The bright, blue eyed boy talked through his teeth and tried to look like he was holding back tears. The boy somehow managed to muster up the strength to bend down and kiss the guard's dirty feet. Surprisingly, the guard smiled and nodded his head.

"Carry on."

"Thank you sir! I must go now!" The boy waited until he had hidden himself enough in the crowd to wipe his mouth with his tattered beige shirt and spat a few times into the dead grass. After he was sure that the taste was gone, he looked up nervously. Adrenaline started pumping through his veins when a hard realization hit: he had been running in the wrong direction all along. Normally after he'd steal a few apples or a meat leg from some animal that was for sale, he'd look for the giant, gold double pillars and know that his 'home' was close. But the pillars were nowhere in sight and it was starting to get dark. It would soon be very unsafe to be alone and lost. He found a tree stump to rest on as he tried to figure out which direction to go.

"Oi Mignotta, how much?" A deep and cocky voice blared out from behind. The boy quickly jumped up and spun around to see an older, fat man who clearly had too much to drink.

"Don't call me that!" He ran in the opposite direction as soon as his feet were able to move.

"Dove stai andando?" The man shouted, but didn't move an inch.

The boy panted as he ran; accidentally dropping two of the three apples he had collected earlier. Suddenly, he bumped into a rich looking man with dark hair and dark worried eyes that looked down at him.

"What's your name young man?" The guy asked, hovering over the slightly trembling boy. "How old are you?"

The boy swallowed his saliva and stared up in silence.

"I assume you know how to speak?" The man sported a half crooked smile, but still had a look of worry in his eyes.

"Robin, and I'm fifteen."

"Hm, what are you doing out here alone so late? Shouldn't you be with your parents?" The man asked as he bent down to almost eye level.

"They were killed a few years ago." Robin answered quickly, feeling regretful as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Do you need something to eat? Or a place to stay? And you can call me Master Wayne." The man said as he now fully smiled; showing his white teeth.

"You don't have to do that. I'll be f-fine." Robin answered, blushing from embarrassment and held up the only reddish green apple that he still had. "I have this."

"You don't look too fine to me. You're dirty, your shirt and pants are ripped to pieces, and you look like you haven't had a decent meal in... your entire life." Master Wayne replied as he looked the boy up and down.

Robin felt a warning signal go off in his brain, but he ignored it and thought about what he had said. Of course, to other people, what he said could be really offensive, but he was right. Robin hadn't had a bath since God knows when, he hadn't had any other clothes in weeks, and living off of random fruits and meats was taking a toll on his body.

"Come with me." Master Wayne stated gently, but firmly.

"I-I'm sorry, but I'm... I t-think I'm not old enough-." Robin stuttered before being cut off.

"Oh no! I want to help you. Not... hurt you in any way."

Robin didn't think he was a whore, but he had done some slightly whorish things in his life to feed and care for himself. Call it survival if you will.

"When was the last time you've eaten steamed lamb chops and fried eggs?" Master Wayne smirked in a smugly but friendly way.

"Never sir!" Robin smiled a little back as his stomach and heart about leaped out of his body.

"Well that's what we're having tonight."

Robin lit up as the two walked towards the biggest townhouse he had ever seen. They were greeted at the gate that led to the entrance of the building by a man much older than most people he had seen in his lifetime.

"Greetings Master Wayne. Who is this young fellow?" The old man with grayish white hair asked curiously as he shook the young man's hand. After shaking Robin's hand, the old man glanced at his own hand and gave it a weird look. He then smiled a little as he pulled out a black handkerchief and wiped his dirty hand on it.

"Robin." Robin smile sheepishly and looked down at the ground.

"I'm Pennyworth; Master Wayne's house greeter. Will you be joining us for dinner?" Pennyworth asked hesitantly as he looked up at Master Wayne.

"Yes. His name is Robin." Master Wayne stated as he put his hand on Robin's almost black-with-dirt shoulder.

"Well greetings to you too, Robin." Pennyworth nodded curtly and opened the colorful, stained glass front door for the two.

Robin couldn't believe his ears or eyes. He had never been addressed as kindly before or with any curtsey at all for that matter. But this building he was now entering is what really baffled his mind. The door itself was really impressive with all its brilliant colors and designs. The first room they entered was the living room considering that there were two long, probably real leather couches and three accompanying chairs. In between the middle of all the furniture, was a table full of papers and scrolls stacked up on top of each other. After walking past dozens of doors, the three finally stopped at a door with a tiny opening near the top. Pennyworth opened that door, too. Robin was still in awe as he was led out to the backyard. His eyes wandered around from animal to animal. There were cows, horses, chickens, sheep, lambs, and pigs running around freely in the large but enclosed space. Master Wayne patted Robin and pointed his finger to the barn that was only about twenty feet away from them.

"Wash up and come back in through this door when you are done. Dinner will be in ten minutes. There are a few of the servants' attire hanging around the barn so you'll have to find them if you wish to wear them." Master Wayne explained as he waved the boy off and headed back into the house.

Robin hurried to get inside the barn because it was now dark and he hated it. When he pushed open the large red doors that led into the barn, he was quite surprised to see that he was completely alone. Most of the rich folk he had seen or heard of kept their slaves in crowded smelly barns to sleep; at least the ones that he had personally seen. He wondered where Master Wayne's servants were at. After that thought crossed his mind, the smile on his face slowly started to fade. He didn't want to be a someone's slave again; those times had been too hard for him.

"Oh no." Robin thought out loud, but tried his best to push those feelings out and away. He thought about making a run for it while he could, but the smell of cooked meat and the sight of clean water smelled and sounded more appealing than anything else at the moment. Besides, the man was so kind. After hesitantly stripping off his shirt but leaving on his shorts, he grabbed a few bucketfuls of water from the well and dumped them into the tub until it was a little over halfway full. He then grabbed a nearby bar of animal fat and plopped himself into the tub. Five minutes later, and after some hardcore scrubbing, Robin dunked his head underneath the dirty water and shook his head around to clean his hair. When he realized how dirty the water was, he hopped out and quickly drained the tub. Using one last bucket, he poured the clean water over his head so it would eventually travel all down his body and unto the barn floor. Robin shook his head again to shake off as much excess water as he could before grabbing a cloth he assumed was to be used to dry off with. After he was satisfied, he searched the barn for any clothes that might fit his slender body. He came across another beige shirt, almost identical to his previous one and slipped it on over his head. The only difference was that this one didn't make him look like he was attacked by a bunch of wild animals. Robin grabbed his other torn shirt that he had laid down by the tub and started for the door.

"Just in time. Right this way." Pennyworth said as he led Robin to the dining room. "Let me take that piece of filth from you and throw it out."

Robin thought that it was the most beautiful room he had ever seen. There was a long, rectangular wooden table with an expensive looking red table cloth that covered it in the middle of the room along with about ten chairs that surrounded it. But what was on the table is really what excited Robin.

"Please, help yourself. We have steamed lamb chops, fried chicken, and fried tomatoes. For dessert, we have chocolate covered strawberries." Pennyworth beamed as he noticed the look on the boy's glowing face.

"Thank you so much sir!" Robin exclaimed as he was handed a transparent glass plate.

"Please, just call me Pennyworth."

"Yes s- Pennyworth." Robin smiled as he was patted approvingly on his wet hair.

Just then, Master Wayne walked into the room and stopped to smell. "Smells delicious."

"I try, sir." Pennyworth smirked as he grabbed a plate for Master Wayne and himself.

While Robin was getting food for his plate, it was hard for him to realize how much was too much so he tried his best to just take a little bit of everything, even though he wanted to stuff his face badly.

"It's okay Robin. Take as much as you want." Master Wayne assured after noticing the look of confusion on the boy's face.

"I don't want to take too much." Robin blushed again as he decided that his plate was full enough and took a seat across the table from the other two.

"Robin, what brings you here?" Pennyworth smiled as he too, stuffed his face with meat. "How long will you be staying here in the house?"

"He's coming to stay. That is all you need to know at the moment." Master Wayne answered before Robin even had a chance to think about a response.

Pennyworth slightly narrowed his brown eyes, but shrugged it off and bit off some meat from a leg while using his other hand to pass the strawberries to Robin. After everyone had seconds and thirds, Master Wayne decided that he was growing tired. He motioned for Pennyworth to hand him his expensive looking golden cane and he stood himself up. "Let us show Robin his new bedroom."

The servant nodded and led the two down a hallway, turned right down two corners, and then stopped them at a wooden door. The door stuck out against the rest of the house, but so did Robin, so he couldn't say anything.

"This will be your room. Don't worry though, we will fix it up to your liking soon." Pennyworth stated as he also opened the door for Robin.

When the two were left alone, Master Wayne smiled at the still shocked boy. "I know this must be scary for you Robin, but do not worry. Pennyworth and myself will try to make you feel at home as best as we can."

"My names not really Robin, sir. My birth name is Richard, but my mother always told me that when I was younger, I reminded her of a Robin bird. You know those brown and orange birds? So after she was killed, I called myself Robin for her." Robin was surprised that he had managed to say all that without stuttering at all and was proud of himself.

"Well then we'll still call you Robin if you'd like." Master Wayne nodded as glanced out the only window in the barren room. "Pennyworth and yourself will wake at dawn to milk the cows and collect chicken eggs."

"I've never done either one of those things before." Robin chuckled nervously. "You will learn in time." Master Wayne said with a yawn; obviously too tired to explain right that second.

"Goodnight sir." Robin waited until the man shut the door and he heard his footsteps fade into nothing before he checked out the room. It was a pretty good size; about a quarter of the size of the living room. The fours walls had a purple hue to them and the white ceiling had very detailed lines that formed millions of different designs. The bed was the only piece of furniture in the room, but looked very inviting. It had been years since Robin had even seen a bed, let alone lied and slept in one. Robin slowly walked to the bed and jumped up into it. The pillow must have been made from the finest sheep fur out there because it was heavenly to rest your head on. Robin almost instantly fell asleep as he pulled the purple fleece blanket up to his chin while closing his drooping blue eyes.


	2. Where am I?

Robin awoke when he heard a chicken cluck at the top of its lungs right outside his window. He groaned and stretched his arms high above his head while letting out a long, air filled yawn.

"Robin, are you awake?" Pennyworth asked as he knocked on the door. Robin jumped at the knock, and quickly got out of his soft, warm bed.

"Yes, coming!" Robin shouted back as he grabbed his brown shirt and brown shorts that he must have kicked off during his sleep and pulled them back on.

"Ready to learn how to milk cows and collect chicken eggs?" Pennyworth asked with a half awake voice. Robin had to admit that he was good at hiding it.

Robin smiled a wide grin and was once again led outside into the backyard. He hadn't felt this refreshed and so awake in a very long time. He was still confused about why he was even here in the first place.

"Pennyworth?" Robin asked quietly as they approached a chicken coop. A couple chickens ran away when they saw the two.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Pennyworth hesitated before he nodded and bent down to sit a pail underneath a nearby cow. "You just did."

"Here's another one then. Why did Master Wayne ask me to come home with him and stay here? I mean you two seem like nice people, but I know nothing about you and you know nothing about me." Robin spoke so fast, his face instantly turned red.

"Master Wayne hasn't discussed it with me yet. But he is sure to have a good reason." Pennyworth clenched his teeth together and spoke through them with a half truth, half lie.

"Oh..." Robin replied and smiled a grin similar to the one he had done earlier. He would never admit it out loud; but he was scared not knowing where he was or why he was here in the first place. It was strange that he had just followed Master Wayne to his home without knowing anything about the man. For all he knew, he could be a wanted murderer or child abductor.

"You see, Robin, the proper way to get the most milk out of the cow as possible, is to talk to her. Make the cow feel comfortable or else she'll try to constantly break free and run away from you. Once you get her calm, then you can proceed with the milking." Pennyworth stated as he watched the boy swallow a chuckle. "What is so funny?"

"You want me to talk... to a cow?" Robin asked as seriously as he could when he realized that the man wasn't kidding.

"Yes. A quiet, gentle human voice will calm any animal." Pennyworth said as he pulled up a wooden stool to sit on from the side of the barn. "Observe."

For the next three or four minutes, Robin had to keep his face as straight as he possibly could while the old man told the cow that it's colors were brilliant; that it's rugged outer layer of skin was so soft, and that it's eyes were extremely beautiful. He did all of this while yanking on her utters. When he was through, he stood up from the stool, walked in front of the cow, and motioned for Robin to give it a try.

"I don't think I'm any good at this." Robin stammered, not wanting to look stupid on the first day, but also not wanting to lose all of his dignity.

"Well, start off by sitting down and stroking her side." Pennyworth suggested when he noticed that the boy was shaking a little. "We can try talking later."

Robin was okay with that and started petting the fully white cow that only had one large blotch of black on the side she was being petted on. "Does she have a name?" Robin asked, but then regretted it when he realized that they probably had millions of cows and didn't bother to name any.

"Uh no, but you're welcome to name her if you'd like." Pennyworth smiled and patted the cow on it's head.

Robin thought for a moment, before he knew exactly what would fit her. "How about Belle? Since she has one around her neck."

"I like that." Pennyworth nodded while picking up the bowl of milk that he had gotten out of the fat cow. "Let's go collect some eggs for breakfast."

"Where is the chicken coop?" Robin asked out when he realized that he didn't see one anywhere in sight.

"You remember the barn you took your bath in? It's on the right side of it." Pennyworth replied while pointing his finger so the boy would see it as well.

As they headed towards the coop, Robin remembered some of the things he was thinking about last night while cleaning himself. Where were Master Wayne's slaves at? He had yet to see anyone else in the house besides Master Wayne and Pennyworth. He wanted to ask, but now didn't seem like the appropriate time. Besides, he was enjoying having someone to talk to and didn't want to upset his new friend. When they approached the coop, Robin could not help but stare in awe. He had never seen so many chickens at once before.

"Wow, there's so many chickens." Robin said with his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Yes, probably hundreds all around the field; I am not entirely sure." Pennyworth nodded and gestured for Robin to bend down and look inside with him. He sat the pail of milk a few feet from the coop so it wouldn't be spilled.

The coop itself was very long, but not very wide. Robin could probably squeeze himself inside, but he figured that he'd get attacked by infuriated chickens and giggled at the thought.

"How do we get to the eggs?" Robin asked excitedly.

"Easy. You lift the top off like this-." Pennyworth demonstrated and they peered inside. "Then you carefully pick up all the eggs you see."

"Can I get some?" Robin asked before reaching inside. "They won't bite me, will they?"

Pennyworth chuckled and shook his head. "Depends on if they like you or not."

"I guess you want me to talk to the chickens too, right?" Robin laughed as he reached in and grabbed an egg. Pennyworth laughed with him and helped him pick up the eggs. They gently set them in a nearby brown basket until it was almost overflowing. Robin picked up the basket of eggs while his accomplice picked up the pail of milk.

"Be careful with the basket and try not to drop it." Pennyworth warned him as they journeyed back towards the house.

When they arrived back inside the house, Robin sat the eggs slowly on the table and observed the kitchen for the first time. There were two pits of firewood that were burning, but not too much. A pot that was attached to strings hung above both of the pits along with a long, wooden spoon inside of it. The table next to them was full of meat cleavers and different sized knifes. It still smelt of wood and leftover meat from the previous night.

"I'll cook eggs and some of the fried chicken leftover from last night." Pennyworth informed Robin and began to prepare the pots.

"Where is Master Wayne?" Robin asked when he realized that he had not seen him yet.

"He is in town. He'll be back soon for breakfast." Pennyworth assured him.

"Oh. Do you need help with anything?" Robin asked when he saw that the old man was struggling a tad bit.

"No, no. I don't want you to burn yourself with the oil or anything."

"Hm, what do you need me to do then?"

"You can go explore the house if you'd like." Pennyworth told him after he had thought for a second.

"Yes, I will go do that!" Robin exclaimed and walked into the next room over.

All Robin could do from the moment he entered the room was stare in wonder. He was inside the living room that he had entered last night, but could now see how truly gorgeous it was since sunlight shone into the room from a nearby open hole in the hall. A dark purple cloth hung over the hole from a metal rod and slightly draped over it. The breeze felt very comforting to Robin and he sighed. He then glanced over towards the brilliant door that he had looked at the previous night. The sunlight that hit the stained glass door reflected off and into the bright blue eyes that gazed dreamily at it. The different colored pieces that made up the door varied in size and design, but all in all fit together magnificently. He noted that he would ask Master Wayne how it was made. Or maybe even Pennyworth if he got the chance. Then there were the brown leather couches and three chairs. Robin took the liberty to plop himself down on one.

"Oooh." Robin sighed again as he slowly sank into the couch.

Looking to his left, he spotted scrolls that raised his curiosity. He wanted to unfold one and skim over it to see if he knew what it was about, but then reality reminded him that he could barely read as it was. Robin stood up and walked down the hallway that led to his bedroom and stopped at the first door. After jiggling the doorknob a few times, he gave up and moved to the one across from it. That one creaked open loudly and caused Robin to jump out of his skin. He peered into the room to see nothing but a bunch of random wood pieces, mallets, and other tools that he didn't know the name of.

"Somebody here must like to build." Robin told himself quietly as he shut the loud door.

The next room wasn't much different except that there were a few actual pieces of wooden furniture that somebody must have recently cut out. The smell of freshly cut wood seeped out of the room, so Robin closed the door and sneezed. Each and every room he visited held different things, but mostly wood shops or bedrooms or were bare and empty. Robin was about to open the last door that had not been opened yet when a firm, but gentle hand sat on his left shoulder.

"What-?" Robin shrieked until he recognized the face. "I-I'm sorry, you frightened me."

Master Wayne shook his head slightly and smiled. Robin smiled too but it quickly vanished when he realized that the man probably thought he was going to try and steal or something like that.

" I wasn't- Pennyworth said that I- I'm just looking- I wasn't trying to steal or anything, promise! Pennyworth told me that I-I could walk around until breakfast was r-ready." Robin panicked, quickly hid his face with his arms, and crouched down low to the ground with his eyes held tightly shut.

"It is okay, Robin. Pennyworth already informed me." Master Wayne said as he smiled a little wider this time. "I will not hurt you. I promise."

Robin opened his eyes and removed his hands. He stood up and looked away from the direction in which Master Wayne was standing. Master Wayne narrowed his eyes in confusion, but dismissed the incident and kept a smile plastered to his face.

"Come with me back to the kitchen. The food is ready."


	3. Who are you?

"Your cooking is amazing!" Robin complimented the old man as he crammed cut up eggs into his mouth.

Pennyworth nodded with a smile and began to eat as well.

"Pennyworth, I'm worried about the gladiator battles. They seem to be escalating in cruelty with each battle." Master Wayne spoke with worry. "I overheard some talking about one that happened yesterday. I couldn't hear everything they said, but I did hear them agree that it was the worst one yet."

"That's unfortunate." Pennyworth responded.

"Yesterday, before I found Robin, I heard a few guards talking about how the emperor seems to just want to toy with the gladiators. Sometimes he only lets them use their hands or doesn't allow them to have shields or other forms of protection." Master Wayne slowly closed his brown eyes in disgust. "It didn't bother me when the battles were just to train. But he has taken it too far now; making them a fight to the death just for entertainment."

"I agree, sir." Pennyworth answered with another nod. "Emperor Slade is the cruelest one I've see n in my time."

Robin continued to eat as if no one was talking, but whatever the two were talking about certainly grabbed his attention. Robin knew who the guards were since he had multiple run ins with them, but had no idea what a gladiator or gladiator battle was.

"Someone needs to stop him." Master Wayne's eyes turned black and cold.

Robin looked away, but the mental image of Master Wayne looking so stern burned in the back of his mind for the rest of the meal.

"Thanks for the food, Pennyworth. It was delightful." Master Wayne stood up from the table and pushed in his chair.

"It wasn't just me." Pennyworth smiled and glanced at the obviously clueless boy sitting across from him.

Robin smiled back and shrugged. "I just helped him get some eggs."

"Well thank you too, Robin." Master Wayne told the boy and walked to the front door.

"I must head back into town. I will return in time for dinner."

"Take your time Master Wayne." Pennyworth assured him and waved him out the door.

"Would you like another tour of the farm? A bigger one this time, at least." Pennyworth chuckled.

"Definitely! I couldn't even see the end of the land out there."

Robin followed the man to the back yard. They shielded their eyes from the sun and looked around the land. The sun had long come up, but it was still a beautiful sight to witness.

"You spoke earlier and said that we know nothing of each other, correct?" Pennyworth asked, not waiting for an answer and continued. "You are right. Let's learn about each other."

Robin looked up at the man, and remembered that he had in fact said that earlier. Every single nerve in his body told him to stay quiet, but something inside of him wanted to tell the man everything.

"You first?" Robin offered weakly.

"Of course." Pennyworth smirked and began to walk towards a field of corn on their far left. "You're probably wondering why just the two of us live in such a huge house, and there are so many unused rooms?"

"Actually, yeah." Robin answered, surprised that he had hit the nail on the head so perfectly.

"Some years ago, when Master Wayne's parents owned the property, they kept around fifty or so slaves. They were not cruel to us and were in fact very kind. One night, while the two were out on the street later in the night than normal, someone robbed and stabbed them to death for just their on hand valuables. Master Wayne inherited the land and freed everyone because he hated the fact that we were slaves." Pennyworth's eyes sparkled in the sunlight. "I decided to stay here in the house to accompany Master Wayne and help him around the house. I'm an old man and wouldn't last a night out there alone."

"The streets are hard, I agree with you on that." Robin chuckled awkwardly and shuffled uncomfortably. "My parents were also killed when I was younger. I have no idea what happened that night; all I remember is them telling me to go to sleep and that they would be back in the morning after they had gotten us some food. I haven't seen them since."

"I'm sorry, Robin." Pennyworth patted the boy's back to show some sympathy. Robin sniffed and cursed at himself for being so emotional.

"Ever since then, I've had to do whatever I could to survive." Robin sniffed once more as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away.

"Well you're safe now. Master Wayne and I will take good care of you." Pennyworth said reassuringly.

Robin smiled as they reached the corn field. In the distance, he could see a plethora of horses and donkeys roaming around freely, as well as cows, sheep, and even some lambs with their young.

"Wow, I've never seen so many animals in one place before." Robin commented while staring out in awe.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wayne used to sell the animals in exchange for gold or other things, but they multiply quickly and Master Wayne doesn't like to associate with other people often, so we have an abundance of animals at the moment." Pennyworth explained as they approached a cream colored horse who had a long black mane that waved in the wind.

Robin reached out to pet the horse and jumped when the horse replied by licking his face.

"I've always liked horses." Robin explained as he continued to stroke the horse.

"Seems like that horse likes you as well." Pennyworth smiled and walked over to another nearby multicolored horse.

Pennyworth and Robin went from horse to horse until they were positive that they had pet all of them. They continued to walk towards a group of pigs and Pennyworth had to chase them off of Robin so that he wouldn't be trampled. Some nearby cows decided to moo loudly as the two passed them and Robin couldn't help himself and mooed back at them. They sat down in the field for awhile with the sheep and felt their soft pelts. After that, they walked until they reached a wooden fence that Robin was unable to see over and walked along side of it.

"How'd you become a slave? Like how long have you been one?" Robin asked curiously, confident that Pennyworth wouldn't take offense.

"I was born into slavery. My mother and father were enslaved when they couldn't pay their debts. My first owner was extremely violent and brutal. I was separated from my parents when I was a young adult and bought by Mr. Wayne. I've been here ever since." Pennyworth replied slightly taken aback but understood his curiosity.

"I'm sorry, I was-." Robin started before being cut off.

"It's fine. I was treated fair here." Pennyworth replied before changing the subject. "The horses and cows sleep in that barn over there."

Robin saw a large barn, much bigger than the one closer to the house. It looked weathered and run down, as if the wind blew too hard, it would collapse in one big heap. They walked inside slowly just incase there were horses asleep, but not one was so they began talking again.

"This barn looks like its been around for centuries." Robin giggled to show that he was joking.

"Probably has been. It was old when I first laid eyes on it years ago." Pennyworth replied as he felt the walls and made sure that there were no dead animals in the stalls. "We should probably head back. The sun will set shortly." Pennyworth replied when he finished checking the barn and stalls.

"...then the horse licked my face!" Robin explained with excitement as he told Master Wayne about his day.

"We'll have to get you a horse trainer one day that will teach you to ride." Master Wayne replied as he glanced up at Pennyworth and nodded.

"Hopefully we can find one in town." Pennyworth offered and felt joy at the thought.

"Sounds wonderful! I've never rode on a horse before." Robin chimed in.

The three exchanged words for another hour until Master Wayne decided that it was time for everyone to 'hit the hay'. He bowed them goodbye and headed back into the hallway.

"Goodnight Pennyworth. I had fun today." Robin smiled and waved goodbye at the old man while walking towards his own room.

"Goodnight Robin." Pennyworth bowed his head like Master Wayne had earlier and Robin noted to try it later.

Robin opened the door to his room, where the bed of his dreams was just simply waiting for him to come back to it. Robin laid flat on the bed and sighed. He wasn't lying when he had told Alfred that today was fun. His entire life he had seen men and woman riding around on horses, but never once was he allowed to pet one. It was an amazing experience and Robin couldn't wait to do it again. Pennyworth seemed to be telling the truth about the freed slaves, but some things still didn't make sense. Robin rolled over on his left side and closed his tired eyes. He would just think about the rest tomorrow

* * *

**.A/N- I know, what a boring past 2 chapters! But honestly, it was inevitable. Pennyworth and Robin needed some time to talk and exchange information. :)**


End file.
